The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the world to relook and re-evaluate how it conducts its daily activities (Newman, 2020). Frankly, it might just have given the world the nudge it needed. As such, many companies and organisations had to reassess how they conduct their daily business (Half, 2020). This has resulted in the moving of interview conducting and the hosting of meetings to online and satellite platforms.

Even though the world has moved online, individuals must remember that professionalism and business etiquette are still vital components to how one conducts themselves online, and the impression of one’s self that it will leave on the participants (Doyle, 2020). To this end, we have prepared a set of guidelines to assist individuals.

Guidelines to assist one when participating in an online interview or meeting:

1. Test your internet connection
   • Ensure that you have a secure and stable internet connection along with enough data for the duration of the interview.
   • Conduct the interview in a quiet and well-lit environment where you will not be distracted or disturbed.
   • Clear and organise your workspace. You would not want your interviewer to assume that your cluttered workspace would be a sign of how you perform in the work environment.
   • Ensure that the background that the interviewer sees, is clear of anything that might be distracting.
2. Familiarise yourself with the platform being utilised
   • Many organisations will use platforms such as Zoom or Skype to conduct the interview. Prior to the interview, ensure that you have all the necessary software and hardware, in working condition.
   • If you have not used the platform before, conduct a test call with a friend and become familiar with the way the platform works.
3. Prepare the content
   • Online interviews carry the same amount of magnitude as an in-person interview. Hence, it is imperative that one prepares themselves accordingly. Ensure that you have basic knowledge about the organisation and its identity along with your own knowledge on the job description, requirements, outputs, and innovative solutions to problems that the organisation might be experiencing.
4. Control the situation
   • Manage your time correctly to ensure that you do not spend too much time answering one question. If you see that the interview is not going the way you would like it to, go back to points that you have prepared that you know would change the direction of the interview.
5. No multi-tasking
   • Focus your attention solely on your interviewer/s. This will show the interviewers you are serious and committed.
   • Notify all in your household that you will be unavailable for the duration of your interview and cannot be disrupted

6. Dress appropriately
   • Dress professionally from head to toe as you never know when you might need to stand up. Again, this will talk to your professionalism and commitment.

References

Doyle, A., 2020. Tips To Practice And Prepare For An Online Job Interview. [online] The Balance Careers. Available at: <https://www.thebalancecareers.com/online-job-interviews-2064216> [Accessed 2 July 2020].

Half, R., 2020. 8 Tips For Conducting A Remote Interview. [online] Roberthalf.com. Available at: <https://www.roberthalf.com/blog/how-to-interview-candidates/how-to-conduct-a-remote-interview> [Accessed 1 July 2020].

Newman, L., 2020. Pressreader.Com – Your Favorite Newspapers And Magazines… [online] Pressreader.com. Available at: <https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/post-south-africa/20200701/281758451563819> [Accessed 1 July 2020].

Real Men Real Style. 2020. 7 Tips For Web Interviews | How To Conduct An Online Interview. [online] Available at: <https://www.realmenrealstyle.com/how-prepare-online-interview/> [Accessed 5 July 2020].

Café Palestine Six on Saturday 27 June

11:45 (GMT+2)

from Hebron, Bethlehem and Jerusalem,

Social work in Palestine in a time of emergency – enhancing citizen and child participation

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85793973571?pwd=aEgzSFFHanZRb3ZXM2w4VjlSTGFlQT09

11:45 (GMT+2)

Performance by Marc Kawwas, a young Palestinian Pianist born in Bethlehem in 2006. Marc started learning piano at the age of six. Now he is a level 7 Piano student at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. He has performed numerous recitals and concerts across Palestine and won many music competitions.

12:00 (GMT+2)

Riad Arar, Rand Shaar, Raed Amira and Issa Rabadi will be speaking about social work in Palestine with a focus on responding to the Covid-19 emergency. Riad and Rand, both from Defence of the Child International (DCI), will talk about how they have involved children in this response. Issa Rabadi, Vice-President of PUSWP, activist, and a program manager at the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in Jerusalem, will be speaking about the political context. Raed Amira who is employed as a social worker by UNWRA will talk about social work with refugees during the pandemic.

Riad Arar (Hebron) is Director of Protection & Social Mobilisation Programme at DCI in Hebron, and co-ordinator of the Palestine-UK Social Work Network in Palestine. With fellow leading members of the Palestinian Union of Social Workers and Psychologists (PUSWP), Issa Rabadi (Jerusalem) and Raed Amira (Bethlehem), Riad was instrumental in developing the Palestine-UK Social Work Network in Palestine.

To be there, click on this link:
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85793973571?pwd=aEgzSFFHanZRb3ZXM2w4VjlSTGFlQT09

Recordings of all previous Cafe Palestine’s are available on our website:
https://ukpalmhn.com/cafe-palestine/

The World Drug Report 2019 reports that 35 million people worldwide are drug abusers (UNODC, 2019). 26 June was earmarked by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking (South African Government, 2020). Similar to the United Nations ’s (UN) awareness campaign to educate the public about COVID-19 , this year’s theme “Better Knowledge for Better Care”, is aimed at dispelling misinformation about substance abuse to increase public knowledge about this global crisis, creating international cooperation to prevent negative effects on health, governance and safety (United National Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC, 2020).

The importance of public awareness of substance abuse facilitates the transition from exclusivity, blaming and shaming, to accepting that addiction is a disease that requires inclusivity and treatment. Public awareness may be created through the following:

• Sharing information about drug abuse to afford members of the public a functional understanding of the common issues about drugs and the relationship between drug use and other health challenges, including mental health, hypertension and respiratory diseases.
• Education programmes aimed at ending public stigma that is inherent in addiction. Many addicts feel too ashamed to ask for help because of community outcasting and shunning.
• Parents may use the day to listen to their children if they demonstrate signs of addictive behaviour, creating an understanding for the causes of drug abuse.
• Communities can come together to “talk and listen” to stories of drug abuse to initiate community projects.

A common myth is that addiction is a choice and character flaw, however, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders 5th Edition (DSM-5) lists addiction as a disease (DSM-5, 2013).  Risk factors include but are not limited to, genetic predisposition, psychological factors such as stress, depression, anxiety and psychiatric conditions, environmental factors such as physical, sexual and emotional abuse, family history and exposure to substance abuse by family and friends (Center on Addcition, 2017).                                                                                                       

The DSM-5 describes substance abuse as “maladaptive behavioural or psychological changes” leading to clinically significant impairment or distress that manifests in various ways (DSM-5, 2013):

• Failure to fulfil obligations at work, school or home.
• Recurrent hazardous behaviour such as driving an or operating a machine when whilst impaired.
• Recurrent legal problems.
• Continued substance use despite persistent social or interpersonal problems.